


Lies We Tell Ourselves

by lily_pearl (lilyandjoey), lilyandjoey



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Infidelity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-13
Updated: 2009-12-13
Packaged: 2017-10-04 09:49:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilyandjoey/pseuds/lily_pearl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilyandjoey/pseuds/lilyandjoey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione had never expected to be the other woman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lies We Tell Ourselves

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for [](http://community.livejournal.com/hp_triangle/profile)[**hp_triangle**](http://community.livejournal.com/hp_triangle/)

Hermione glanced over at the clock on the bedside table. She slumped back down into the bed, then sat bolt upright in a sudden movement that jerked Ron out of his post-coital haze.

"It's three o'clock," Hermione said as she tumbled out of bed and began scrambling for her clothes.

"Shit," Ron said eloquently from behind his hands.

He rubbed his face, sighed and heaved himself up. He dressed slower than Hermione, who had had a head start, and was still doing up his trousers when she was fully dressed. She picked up a brush from the bedside table and started yanking it through her tangled hair while Ron put his shirt on. She went into the bathroom to give herself a quick once over in the mirror. Hermione grimaced at her reflection and pulled her hair up into a ponytail, glad that she had an elastic in her pocket for just such an emergency.

When she went back into the bedroom she found that Ron was fully dressed (shoes and all) and was shrugging on his jacket.

"I've got to run, yeah?" he said quickly, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

He was out of the door before Hermione had a chance to respond. For a moment she felt the familiar emptiness, but she pulled herself together quickly and began stripping the sheets off the bed. By the time she had got out clean sheets, made the bed and put the dirty ones on to wash she had collected herself completely. She had only herself to blame for her current situation. She could get out of it any time she chose and the fact that she hadn't spoke volumes.

After the fighting was over and the dust had settled, Hermione had chosen to return to Hogwarts and complete her final year. Ron, on the other hand, had decided not to return. He had never enjoyed education, it wasn't compulsory and he wanted to look after his family. Hermione had fully supported his decision, which had come as a shock to Ron. She smiled to herself, remembering the look on his face as he'd braced himself for a lecture which hadn't come. The simple fact was that his family needed him more than she did. They'd had a long serious talk after that and come to the conclusion that they couldn't maintain a long distance relationship with her at boarding school and him working full time with George and looking after his parents and Percy at every available moment.

The decision hadn't stopped them from making the most of the time they had left. They couldn't keep their hands off each other. It was an exhilarating feeling, being wanted, and Hermione couldn't get enough of it. There had been a repeat of that at Christmas, but at Easter Ron had been strangely distant. As his friend (and definitely not girlfriend) Hermione hadn't made an issue of it.

It wasn't until she had sat her exams and come home for good that Hermione found out that Ron had been seeing Lavender. She kept her cool until she could get Ron alone, then she icily told him that he could have just told her. He had been just as shifty and sheepish as she had expected which was exasperating in and of itself. Ron had babbled endlessly about not knowing what to do, not wanting to hurt her, how much Lavender had changed, how lonely he had been without her. Hermione could only focus on the fact that he was sitting with his head in his hands, not looking at her.

Before she could think about what she was doing, she had grabbed his hands and pulled him out of his chair. They were pressed against each other chest to chest and when she went to step back he wouldn't let her. She had looked up and he had kissed her with just as much fervour as the first time and her brain didn't seem to be working properly because she hadn't pulled away or slapped him.

Things had escalated from there until Ron was officially dating Lavender and he and Hermione were engaged in what could only be described as an affair. Hermione knew that she shouldn't be doing it. She knew that it was beyond low to save Lavender's life then steal her boyfriend but she couldn't make herself care enough to stop when Ron's hands were all over her. And if she couldn't stop, then she should give Ron an ultimatum. She told herself that she hadn't asked him to leave Lavender because she was afraid that he'd say no but that wasn't true.

In her secret heart, she thrived on the knowledge that Ron wanted her. She had always thought herself the steadfast sensible choice - the sort of woman whose husband would have affairs with prettier girls. It was exciting to _be_ the prettier girl. She had bumped into Lavender a few weeks ago and a bad little voice in her head had said _Look at her in that tight green dress. Look at all that make up, all that time and effort. Does she know that her boyfriend gets off on messy hair and ink-stained fingers? Does she know that he gets hard when he's told what to do?_

Hermione pushed down those thoughts again and scanned the bedroom. There was a crumpled T-shirt at the foot of the bed that she hadn't noticed before. She picked it up and realised that it was one of Ron's. He had been wearing it under his shirt when he arrived and clearly hadn't put it back on again. Hermione smiled to herself as she put it in her laundry basket. Another thing to add to the small but growing collection of his things in her flat.

The real reason that she had never asked Ron to leave Lavender was this: he was going to, soon. He may not have said it aloud, but it was there all the same.


End file.
